A Conversation on Technology and Liberty

Experimental Reforms in Honduras

Guillermo Peña Panting, Honduras

Founding CEO of Fundación Eléutera, which promotes freedom in Honduras; key player in reform establishing autonomous free economic zones (ZEDE); driver behind government project to digitize the land registry using blockchain technology

How Free Trade Zones Can Unlock the Economy

Surse Pierpoint, Panama and United States

General manager of Zona Libre de Colón and appointed by the president of Panama to establish rules for this free economic zone; former head of Colón Free Trade Zone Users Association; president of the market-liberal think tank Fundación Libertad Panamá

2016

Surviving At the Top of National Politics

Esperanza Aguirre, Spain

Former minister of education and culture; former president of the Senate; former president of the Community of Madrid; president of the Popular Party of Madrid

How Churchill Saved Western Civilization

João Espada, Portugal

Professor of political studies and director of the Institute for Political Studies at the Catholic University of Portugal; former adviser to two presidents of Portugal; awarded the Order of Merit by the Portuguese government and the highest civil recognition given by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Fighting for Freedom of Speech in Venezuela

Marcel Granier, Venezuela

President and CEO of Empresas 1BC, a major media company in Venezuela; president of the board and general director of Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV), one of the country’s most watched TV channels; activist and vocal critic of the Venezuelan government

From Cuban Prisioner to Best-Selling Author

Carlos Alberto Montaner, Cuba and Spain

Commentator and author of more than twenty-five books and thousands of articles, mostly on the Cuban dictatorship; named one of the fifty most influential Ibero-American intellectuals by Foreign Policy magazine; political analyst for CNN en Español

From Marxist to Market Liberal

Mauricio Rojas, Sweden and Chile

Former member of the Swedish parliament for the Liberal People’s Party; senior fellow at Fundación para el Progreso, a market-liberal think tank in Chile; author of several books on immigration, economics, and the Swedish model; former president of the market-liberal think tank Timbro

How to Teach Liberalism – and Anything Else

Barbara Oakley, United States

New York Times bestselling author of A Mind for Numbers; creator of Learning How to Learn, one of the most popular online courses in the world with more than half a million students; professor of engineering at Oakland University; visiting scholar at University of California, San Diego

A Leading Voice for Liberty in Africa

Japheth Omojuwa, Nigeria

Political commentator and editor of Atlas Network’s AfricanLiberty.org, one of Africa’s largest websites on economics and governance; World Economic Forum Global Shaper; featured on CNN, BBC, and Al Jazeera; named one of Africa’s 50 Movers and Shakers by Credit Suisse

2015

Executive director of Coin Center, a new nonprofit research and advocacy center focused on public policy issues facing cryptocurrency technologies such as Bitcoin; adjunct professor of law and former director of the Technology Policy Program at Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Founder of China Care Foundation, which provides medical, social, and educational programs for orphans with disabilities in China; founder and CEO of Endless Mobile, a computer platform aimed at the developing world and built with technology at a fraction of the cost of traditional PCs

Secretary general of China Reform Foundation; former member of the Monetary Policy Committee of China’s central bank; economic professor and director of the National Economic Research Institute; a Foreign Policy Top 100 Global Thinker

Director of the Arab Center for Scientific Research and Humane Studies; editor of Arabic-language news website MinbarAlHurriyya.org; professor of economics at Ibn Toufail University in Morocco; recognized for his speech calling for economic freedom in Tahrir Square during the Arab Spring

Former member of parliament, fourth youngest in the country’s history; former parliamentary leader for the Democratic Alliance, the country’s official opposition party; currently studying public policy at John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University

Chief scientist emeritus at NIIT, an operator of for-profit higher education institutions in India; creator of the Hole-in-the-Wall experiment that demonstrated the value of informal learning and inspired the movie Slumdog Millionaire; professor of educational technology at Newcastle University

Co-founder and director of research at Samriddhi, a foundation that advances ideas for a free and prosperous Nepal through entrepreneurial projects and by working with the national government; honored by John Templeton Foundation for promoting economic liberty and fighting corruption

Member of Parliament representing the Epsom electorate, including parts of Auckland and suburbs; leader of the pro-market ACT party; former government adviser on partnership/charter schools; former policy analyst with think tanks in Canada and New Zealand

Award-winning journalist; US bureau chief correspondent for Spain’s Telecinco TV; US correspondent for Diario el Economista; first Spanish-speaking journalist to report live from the NYSE; winner of the 2007 Golden Antenna award for economics broadcasting in Spain

CEO of Telefónica Internacional USA; former Spanish secretary of state for communications; former deputy chief of staff under President José María Aznar; former director of the Foundation for Social Studies and Analysis (FAES)

Host of syndicated talk show RealClear Radio Hour; former entrepreneur and venture capitalist; fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute; columnist for RealClearMarkets and Huffington Post; author of 2015 Antigua Forum case study on reforms in New Zealand

Financial analyst and frequent media commentator on digital currencies; early investor and advocate of Bitcoin; owner of AdamantResearch, a financial research firm; former editor of financial newsletter MacroTrends.

Technology entrepreneur and investor; founder and CEO of John Chisholm Ventures; founder and former CEO of Decisive Technology (acquired by Google) and CustomerSat (acquired by Confirmit); president of MIT Worldwide Alumni Association; member of MIT Corporation board of trustees; trustee at Santa Fe Institute

2012

Vice president of UFM; former regional minister of health for the Community of Madrid; former deputy chief of staff for Spanish president José María Aznar; former secretary general of the Foundation for Social Studies and Analysis (FAES), Spain’s leading market-liberal think tank

Chief financial officer at University of Utah; former budget director for the state of Michigan and head of the Department of Technology, Management and Budget; responsible for leading major pension reforms in Michigan; former president of the National Association of State Budget Officers

Conceptualizer and promoter of reform in Texas state universities; co-founder of Acton School of Business and Acton Academy (K-12); founder of Sandefer Capital Partners; Socratic teacher; president of Antigua Forum 2013